The Sindh government on Monday demanded Centre allow resumption of dates export, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Speaking in Karachi, Sindh Minister for Agriculture Ismail Rahoo said that farmers had been suffering huge losses ever since the export of dates had taken a plunge. 

He demanded the federal government take steps so that the export of dates could resume. “Will the federal government allow dates export in order to save the farmers from huge losses?” the minister queried. 

Rahoo said district Khairpur in Sindh produced best quality dates, which were hitherto exported to India, Nepal, Oman, UAE and other countries in large quantities. “And now if we restart exporting this fruit, we can earn billions of rupees,” the minister said, and added, “Pakistan earned $103 million in 2016, $108 million in 2017 and $113 in 2018 through the export of dates, which came down to just $71 million in 2019 soon after ‘selected' prime minister came to power. And it was quite minimal in 2020.” 

Sindh agriculture minister said province’s farmers had been badly hit by a sharp drop in dates export.      

Rahoo accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of deliberately damaging Sindh’s agriculture sector.    

He said farmers in Sindh feared that they would meet the same fate which the tomato and onion growers had met. 

Reporter Azad Nehryo